© Entomologica Fennica. 8 July 1997

Apamea yunnana sp. n. (, ) from northern Yunnan, China

V. S. Kononenko & Kauri Mikkola

Kononenko, V. S. & Mikkola, K. 1997: Apamea yunnana sp. n. (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) from northern Yunnan, China.- Entomol. Fennica 8: 83-85. A new noctuid species, Apamea yunnana sp. n. is described from the Yunnan Province, S China. The is superficially similar to A. ferrago (Eversmann) and to the recently described A. nekrasovi Mikkola, Varga & Guylai but differs from these in the details of the forewing pattern and more so in the structure of genitalia. The adult and the male genitalia of the new species are illustrated. V. S. Kononenko, Institute of Biology and Pedology, Far Eastern Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, 690022 Vladivostok, Russia K. Mikkola, Zoological Museum, P. 0. Box 17, F/N-000/4 University of Helsinki, Finland Received 26 November /996, accepted /8 March 1997

The genusApamea Ochsenheimer, 1816 is one of Museum Alexander Koenig, where one of the larg­ the largest genera of the subfamily Ipimorphinae, est collections of Chinese Lepidoptera is deposited. supposedly about 150 species worldwide. It shows holarctic distribution with roughly similar species numbers in the Nearctic and Palaearctic Regions; Apameayunnana sp. n. (Figs. 1-3) there are a few species known from the Oriental and African Regions. The is most diverse Type material. Holotype: cr, China, Prov. North Yunnan, in open steppe and mountain landscapes in the Li-kiang, 9.1X.1934 H. Hone leg. Micropreparat ZMF, Nr. southern parts of the temperate zone. Most spe­ 1637. The holotype is deposited in Zoologisches Museum und Forschungsinstitut Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany. cies are connected with grassland landscapes with dense growths of Poaceae, host plants of larvae Etymology. From the collecting area of the of many Apamea species. holotype. The genus is represented in the Palaearctic by Diagnosis. This is a further pale sandy brown more than 50 described species. In the southeast­ species of Apamea from the southern parts of Asia, em parts of the Palaearctic, especially in the Sino­ externally looking intermediate between Apamea Himalayan region, the fauna contains many pe­ ferrago (Eversmann) and A. nekrasovi Mikkola, culiar endemic elements, several still undescribed. Varga & Gyulai, 1995, distinguished from these The present paper contains the description of a by the oblique and narrow orbicular stigma and new species of Apamea from China. It was collect­ by the relatively straight submarginal line. The ed in 1934 by the well-known German collector structure of genitalia, particularly the very long H. Hone. A male was found among unsorted mate­ digitus and reduced valva, suggests an isolated, rial in the Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und derived position in the genus. 84 Kononenko & Mikkola: Apamea yunnana sp. n. • ENTOMOL. FENNICA Vol. 8

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Fig. 1. Apamea yunnana sp. n., male holotype.

Description (Fig. 1). Wing expanse 39 mm, veins. Cilia pale brown, terminally darker. Hind­ forewing length 19 mrn. Antennae of male filiform wing evenly dark fuscous, fringe pale, underside with short cilia on each segment. Head and tho­ with discal spot and medial fascia. rax covered by pale sandy-grey hair-like scales. Male genitalia (Figs. 2-3). Uncus simple, nar­ Head with tuft of hair-like scales. Eyes round, sur­ row, pointed. Tegumen with moderate peniculus rounded by dark brown hair-like scales. Palpi lat­ thickly covered with hairs. Juxta like mTow-tip. erally covered by dark brown scales, relatively Valva narrow and curved at distal third. Sacculus short and flat; 3rd segment one third of 2nd. with large basal lobe. Costa well developed with Ground colour of forewing pale sandy-brown, abnormally large (about 1/3 length of valva), well median and marginal fields with more brownish sclerotized costal process (digitus), directed ven­ tint, costal margin pale greyish. Veins pale, lighter trally. Cucullus reduced, trigon ate, with relatively than ground colour. Wing pattern obscure, pale. long neck; corona well developed with moderate Basal and antemedian lines hardly visible, lighter number of spines of equal size. Ampulla weak. than ground colour; postmedian line dark medi­ Clasper ridge-like, sclerotized. Short trigonate ally, marginally bordered by pale line. Stigmata process on valva near middle part of clasper. Ae­ with pale outline, orbicular oblique, elongate, deagus relatively thin, straight. Vesica tube-like, reniform with normal shape, with dark nucleus in curving to left, with two diverticula, medially and hind corner. Subterminal line relatively straight. apically, basally with two strong spine-like comuti Terminal line expressed as dark dots between and apically with field of short spinose cornuti. ENTOMOL. FENNICA Vol. 8 • Kononenko & Mikkola: Apamea yunnana sp. n. 85

Figs. 2-3. Male genitalia of Apamea yunnana sp. n., holotype. Micropreparate ZMFAK Nr. 1637.- 2. Genital armature. - 3. Aedeagus with vesica everted.

Female. Unknown. the Yunnan Province. Remarks. The structure of genitalia, with re­ duced, narrow-necked cucullus and with exceed­ Acknowledgements. Our sincere thanks to Prof. K. Nau­ ingly long digitus, both directed ventrally, indi­ mann and Dr. D. Sttining (ZMFAK, Bonn) for their kind cate that the species is strongly autapomorphic. It help during the stay of VSK in Bonn, and for the loan of the material, and to Dr. L. Ronkay (HNHM, Budapest) for com­ is extremely difficult to say anything about the ments about the new taxon. relationships of the species inside the genus. It does not have anything to do with the superficial­ ly similar species Apameaferrago and A. nekra­ References sovi (see Mikkola et al. 1995). The taxon may belong to an undescribed subgenus within Apamea. Mikkola, K., Varga, Z. & Gyulai, P. 1995: Apamea nekraso­ Distribution. The species was discovered in vi, a new species ofNoctuidae (Lepidoptera) from the the southwestern part of China, northern part of Pamir Mountains.- FoliaEntomol. Hung. 56: 115-118.